Access to Internet2, by elementary, secondary, post-secondary and post-graduate programs as well as by hospitals, libraries, even the corporate community. Internet2 allows students access to video conferencing and such national enrichment programs including the Jason Project and the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Students will be able to communicate live, by voice and image, to other students in schools around the globe. They will be able to observe surgical procedures at hospitals as part of their science programs, view activities inside major corporations as part of career educational programs, and take a virtual stroll through the finest museums and galleries in the world.
Access to Grid technologies that allow collaboration among researchers from multiple institutions. “Virtual laboratories,” or networked research test beds, can be created where feedback and input on common topics can be aggregated in real time across institutional and state lines. Also, through the use of Grid computing, the capacity of several powerful computers located states apart can be harnessed across Internet2 to solve very complex computational problems.
Strengthening of the Northeast’s research and development competitiveness.NEREN can provide a deep well of networked resources and expertise that can be leveraged in the pursuit of increasingly competitive private and federal research and education grants. Also, there can be significantly greater opportunities for collaborative applications and initiatives that build upon the unique strengths of the participating institutions across the Northeast.